Lia awoke with a start. The entire system was a bit strange to her, but it definitely wasn't the weirdest thing about her. That feat went to the fact that she had she was cohabitating with a whole other person.
She looked to her left and saw Hysteria standing there. When she noticed Lia was awake, she strolled up to her and spoke. Her tone was as emotionless as always. "I remained on guard. The...servants...were scrambling around earlier. I will find one."
She spoke the word "servants" with a hint of confusion. Almost as if she couldn't tell who they were supposed to be. Lia chuckled. "They're called nurses."
Hysteria nodded and headed off in a random direction. There was a slight rustling, a whispering nurse, and the emotionless voice of Hysteria. She kept repeating the word: "Follow."
After a few minutes of what Lia presumed to be a comical exchange, a nurse was led to Lia's bed. She had a sort of faded green color in her hair. "Oh! You're awake. Good. You know, this one." She pointed to Hysteria. "Kept trying to thwart our attempts at saving your arm."
Lia nodded. "She's...protective."
The nurse chuckled cutely. "How do you feel? Does anything hurt? Is the arm functional?"
Lia moved her arm first. The motion was slowed, but she was able to do it pretty effortlessly. Her leg felt completely normal, but there was a very apparent change as she removed the blanket covering her body.
Her leg had an intricate mark spanning its whole length. Resembling a spiral sigil of some kind, the mark wrapped around her leg, becoming most prominent around her thigh and coming up just underneath her left breast.
Lia's eyes widened, and the nurse began to speak. "Something..strange happened when we were expelling the curse magic. Your body was...latching onto it. We couldn't figure out why, but we concluded that your body was assimilating it. Or rather, it was trying to. We couldn't tell you why. The mark seems stable now, and it's unlikely to harm you in the future."
Lia nodded. "I...see. That's...very strange." Lia heard a loud *DING* in her head. She ignored it for now.
The nurse nodded. "Indeed it is. Regardless, your arm was badly corroded, and some nerve endings have been damaged. The pain receptors in your arm have been lost. Your Vampiric body should reform them within two years, but the curse magic might have stalled that process so I'm not sure when they'll return. I...I did the best I could, the other doctors were working on the girl, so it was Ms. Koski and I working to save your arm. Thankfully, I'd call this a success."
Lia nodded. "Thank you, this infirmary is a wonderful facility." She paused, hesitant to ask about Yura. The nurse picked up on it immediately.
She spoke with caution and a hint of hesitation. "The other girl...she...she's unlikely to make it. The specter possessing her, although non-malevolent, has caused her body's corrosion to reach a maximum point. If she makes it, it's unlikely that she'll be coherent and mentally sound."
Lia nodded. "I...see. Is there any way for me to see her? We weren't friends per se, but I feel bad about what happened. I hope the wounds I caused didn't complicate the healing too much."
The nurse shook her head. "They were mostly superficial. You didn't knick any major arteries or anything of that nature. She did have a stab wound in the corroded area of her body though. If you fight another curse magic wielder, I suggest attacking other body parts. The corroded areas will stop bleeding and won't feel any pain."
Lia raised an eyebrow. "The creature screamed when I stabbed it there though."
Hysteria spoke up, very nearly cutting off the back end of Lia's sentence. "That is my doing. I cause pain regardless of if they feel it physically."
"Oh. That makes sense, thank you Hysteria." Lia was becoming more and more impressed with her new weapon.
The nurse was slightly confused, but she ignored it for now. "I'll talk to the doctor and see if the patient can see visitors."
Lia nodded and watched the made walk off before speaking to Saro. 'So, that's weird. The "ding", what was it for?'
Saro smirked as she flashed the system screen. See for yourself:
**Titles: Blessed By The Moon, Shattered One, Maiden of Night, Curse Breaker (New).**
**Curse Breaker: Your body has taken an extreme amount of curse magic and survived. By assimilating it, you have gained aptitude with curse magic.**
Lia nodded calmly. 'Makes sense. I won't be using it though' She paused for a long while. 'Do you think giving her a system would heal her?'
Saro mentally nodded. 'Probably, but the consequences would be immense. I wouldn't do it if I were you. We have no idea what her opinion of us is. If she's wary, she could become paranoid all of a sudden.'
Lia thought for a while. 'The risks are very high, but I still don't want to let her die. She was one of the first people I ever met. She was a valuable ally. Imagine how strong she'd be with a system.'
Saro sighed. 'I get it. You want to save people. You want to help her. Look, Darkova, people will sometimes have to die. It's an unexplainable facet of life. Death and life both are one road. Such is a natural order. Giving her a system would make her unbelievably strong, and likely save her life, but-'
She was cut off by Darkova. "No, I don't want to save people. Not everyone, just those close to me. She wasn't that close, but I could feel a connection between us. It wouldn't be good for her to die here. I'd have too much on my mind. Just let me save her.'
Saro's worry reached a point she couldn't return from. Sorrow, anguish, and l pain filled her voice, forcing back a sob. 'Look...I...Darkova. She, we don't know her. If you did this for her, who's to say how strong she would become? Would she come and kill us? What about Lacey, Hysteria, Silvana, and anyone else you meet? Can you say for certain that she would be loyal? What if she turns around and kills your family? What would you do then, Darkova? Can you even possibly grasp the amount of anguish that causes? What about Lacey? Could you bear responsibility for the deaths this could cause?'